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Games as inspiration

05-10-2018, 01:55 PM

So, we had an Anime-inspiration thread, and since I found myself playing some LoL and occasionally thinking "The fluff of this or that Champion would make for a fine Beast" I wanted to open a thread on it.
What games do you think have quite suitable characters to be portrayed as Beasts? How would you go about that?
Which games have themes that fit?

I thought about those things for a while, and found myself thinking that Darksider's War would make a fine Anakim Nemesis. He is completely overpowering, out to punish, and even has a powerful monstrous true form: Chaosform War looks pretty much like a Balrog, and would thus make an awesome Horror. Adapting the Charred Council would be harder to do, but I don't see why it couldn't be a high-ranking Spirit that the Riders serve in exchange for blessings and power-ups.

In any case, this game made me think again about Horrors as dark reflections of existing personality traits, and provided some Horror-inspiration.

Another game that I find plenty of inspiration for characters in is Starcraft, especially for Inguma (strange, different civilizations --> Protoss) and Namtaru (Zerg, duh) Horrors.
Characters like Abathur, Kerrigan and Zeratul (who'd be Eshmaki with Limb from Limb and From the Shadows, obviously) provide rich fertile ground to work out Predators, Tyrants and Nemeses type characters. Plus anything Zerg related often makes for good creepy Namtaru Lairs.

Well, you've already mentioned LoL, and I brought this up in teh Beast Character Idea thread, but Tahm Kench's trailer-thing makes him seem like the perfect example of a Makara Tempter. I mean, listen to this:

As for other games, I always point to Bloodborne. A game that involves dreams, fears, horrors and people being devoured by the nightmare and turned into beasts does ring quite a few bells (plus the best understanding and masterful use of Cosmic Horror out there, which I think to remember is something you appreciate too). Dark Souls also provides people comsumed by desires and awesome monsters

Well, you've already mentioned LoL, and I brought this up in teh Beast Character Idea thread, but Tahm Kench's trailer-thing makes him seem like the perfect example of a Makara Tempter. I mean, listen to this:

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The Outsider from the Dishonored series would also make a good Beast, although despite his name I'd classify him as Makara - for the depths and unknowable mystery of the Void - rather than Inguma. For Hunger, I could see him as a kind of Ravager who gives people the power to ruin themselves (the 'Monster's Favour' Rite comes to mind, from the Homebrew Obcasus Rites thread).

As for other games, I always point to Bloodborne. A game that involves dreams, fears, horrors and people being devoured by the nightmare and turned into beasts does ring quite a few bells (plus the best understanding and masterful use of Cosmic Horror out there, which I think to remember is something you appreciate too). Dark Souls also provides people comsumed by desires and awesome monsters

EDIT:

Tahm is a perfect Beast, and I'm not just saying it because he's among my most played champions and I'm pretty darn good with him

Yes, you remember correctly =) Huh. I've heard about Bloodborne doing Cosmic Horror right, but haven't had the chance to try it. If you're praising it like that, I guess I'll have to at least watch a let's play.

If we were to go by most played champs, I'd nominate Vel'Koz... who would make quite an interesting Whisper (fluff-wise he's out to gather knowledge) or Predator (he does learn by disintergrating things, after all). Namtaru, I guess?
As ajf115 mentioned, Tahm would be an amazing Beast. Ravenous Maw a must-have Atavism. You Deserve This as one of his Nightmares?

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If we were to go by most played champs, I'd nominate Vel'Koz... who would make quite an interesting Whisper (fluff-wise he's out to gather knowledge) or Predator (he does learn by disintergrating things, after all). Namtaru, I guess?

He could be a Ravager, too, and I could see him as an Anakim (he's the emissary of an incalculably powerful, indomitable entity-plane which wants only to devour), a Makara (for the same reason) or an Ugallu (he learns your weaknesses down to the molecular level and ruthlessly exploits them to better destroy you).

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I'd go with Ugallu for Vel'Koz. He studies people and exposes their weaknesses. Bot with and to alien lasers, sure, but it still works well. Eye of Heaven (which also stands for the passive), Dragonfire, Mimir's Wisdom and you're good to go.

Tahm's works well with those. I suggest a Relentless Hunter to replicate resistance and regeneration too. His mastery over travel can be done by explaining it through Burrows, Pathways, Lairs and knowledge of the ways of the Primordial Dream.

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Tahm's works well with those. I suggest a Relentless Hunter to replicate resistance and regeneration too. His mastery over travel can be done by explaining it through Burrows, Pathways, Lairs and knowledge of the ways of the Primordial Dream.

Sounds about right. "The world's one river, and I'm its king", yes? Now I'm picturing him having a thing going with the Underworld rivers.

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Many of the critters and bosses in the Dark Souls series would work as Beasts. In particular, Aldrich, Devourer of Gods comes to mind, although I'm not sure of his Family or HUnger - it could be Prey or Power, I guess. Priscilla could also be a less hostile Beast, with the Painted World of Ariamis as her Lair.

If we're including tabletop games, there's plenty from Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Fantasy that could serve as Beasts, particularly some of the Forge World stuff, or the stuff from the Monstrous Arcanum. And don't mention Age of Sigmar to me. It doesn't exist.

There's any number of monsters from D&D, much as I dislike the system, which could work. Aboleths and Mind Flayers spring to mind immediately, although I'm sure there's more.

The giant stone snake-dragon-monster-things from Journey could be Anakim, or maybe Ugallu:

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I'd say Aldrich is a whisperer. His visions are of grand secrets of time itself and he desperately sought those, apparently the vision of the drowned world started from eating a god and that got him really on that path, considering he can also have visions of others and learn their techniques well enough to use them based on the visions I would totally say he's a whisperer incarnate.

Well we could also play Saint Aldrich of the Deep as an insatiable too, but that seems a bit easy.

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Cinder The new LoL-Champion's fluff trailer is exactly what made me open this thread =D Makara Nemesis, is my first instinct.

Vel'Koz as Ugallu Whisper seems perfect. I like the choice of Atavisms, as Nightmares something like We Know All Your Secrets? And he'd need something along the lines of I Know Your Weakness! Hell, it might act as the exact opposite of You Cannot Kill It, making people take increased damage or have severely reduced Defense. Huhum...

Primordial newcomer Asura's Wrath is a good point. Definitly has Titanic Blow, Cyclopean Strength and Limb from Limb. Probably also Monster from the Deep.

ajf115
WH and WH40k, huh? I gotta admit I like Tyranids as a basis for Horrors, but Marines and the Emperor would work, too. Curiously, as both Beasts and Heroes...

Sadly, haven't played the DarkSouls-Series.

What about the Witcher? I feel like Geralt, Ciri etc. could work quite nicely as Beasts, and even had a write-up on them at some point (Cinder helped me out with Ciri's Horror, even).

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Mordremoth from Guild Wars 2 and in a second possibility... Any of the "Elder Dragons" from the same Game. Mordremoth to me is a Anakim or Makara focused on the Mind and being a "Vast Entity" that is literally growing to cover the entire continent.

Light and Dark are two Sides of a Coin... Humanity is What Happens when it Lands on it's Edge.